The mix-up happened when both the flights were in Denver where the two dogs were supposed to catch a connecting flight.

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In an embarrassment to the airlines, the second one this week, United Airlines mistakenly flew a Kansas-bound pet German shepherd Irgo to Japan. The airline's blunder came a day after another dog died on-air after the staff told the owners of the bulldog to keep it in the overhead bin. On Tuesday, when the owner of Irgo, Kara Swindle went to get her pet from the carrier facility of the United Airlines in Kansas, she could not see her dog anywhere there but she found a Great Dane, who was supposed to be going to Japan.

Her German shepherd got mixed up with the dog and was flown to Japan. The mix-up happened when both the flights were in Denver where the two dogs were supposed to catch a connecting flight. She told CNN, the airlines did not have a clue as to where the dog was and it was not until late afternoon they could locate Irgo. The United Airlines issued an apology and reassured the owner that they were looking into the matter. In another incident just a day before Irgo was flown to Japan, shock over a puppy's death on a United Airlines plane has renewed scrutiny over airline handling of pets after a flight attendant demanded the animal travel in an overhead bin where it apparently suffocated.

A string of calamities linked to pets on planes has inflamed a grim public relations nightmare for United, which in the past year has dealt with the death of a valuable giant rabbit, outrage over its refusal to allow an "emotional support" peacock to board, and now the death of a 10-month old French bulldog. The company requires travellers with pets to have a kennel that fits completely under the seat. Speaking through tears to the network Telemundo, Robledo said she had paid appropriate fees to take her dog -- which the family affectionately dubbed "Little Pig" -- in the cabin rather than the luggage compartment.

"The puppy barked and barked but I couldn't get up," she said in Spanish, explaining she was holding her baby and there was turbulence. After the 3.5-hour flight, she opened the bin to find the puppy lifeless. "I said, 'Kokito breathe, breathe.' But he was already dead," Robledo said. The incident unleashed social media wrath and once again brought United -- which took "full responsibility for this tragedy" -- under the gun.

"This was a tragic accident that should never have occurred, as pets should never be placed in the overhead bin," United said. United reported 18 animal deaths and 13 injuries in 2017, according to the Department of Transportation.

United Airlines flies Kansas-bound dog to Japan in embarrassing mix-up; owner shocked, devastedDescription:The mix-up happened when both the flights were in Denver where the two dogs were supposed to catch a connecting flight.Times Now